The 7 deadly sins can be good for you

Vice can be nice! Sarah Marinos explains why greed, lust and the rest aren’t all bad.

Since Pope Gregory created his deadliest sins short list in AD590, lust, sloth, gluttony, anger, envy, greed and pride have received bad press – unfairly, according to Dr Simon Laham, a research fellow in psychological sciences at the University of Melbourne and author of The Joy Of Sin (Constable). "For a long time we've been told these things are uniformly bad and if we commit these sins we're going straight to hell," he says. "But they are more complex than we think – and they can be good for us."

1

Lust

If you are lustful, you are probably good at details and problem solving. Lust improves our focus and attention and so helps us break down a problem and work through it logically. Laham says research has also shown we are more helpful when we are lustful. When men and women in a laboratory were asked to volunteer or to help a stranger, those lulled into a lustful state were more giving. "We increase our attractiveness to potential mates by appearing agreeable and generous," Laham says. "So when we're aroused we play up these qualities."

2

Gluttony

Research shows people who are dieting are worse at problem solving. "This may be because dieters are preoccupied with food-related thoughts," Laham says. "Or it may be simply that glucose replenishes our resources so we function better."

People who don't eat well are less generous. "Bring people into a laboratory, give some a piece of cake and leave the rest hungry and then ask them to donate to charity. The people who've eaten donate more," Laham says. "Rewards like food and money are processed by similar parts of the brain. If you're hungry you not only crave food, you'll hold onto your money."

3

Greed

Who says money can't buy happiness? "Money can make you happier if you spend it on experiences rather than possessions," Laham says. "Experiences are often social and social relationships are important for happiness. Experiences also age well. You are left with the memory and can reinterpret that through rose-coloured glasses."

Research by psychologist Kathleen Vohs found even thinking about money can also help us resist pain. Vohs asked people to count stacks of banknotes or to count banknote-shaped pieces of paper. After this their hands were plunged into a bucket of hot water. "The people who counted real banknotes felt less pain," Laham says. "So it may be that thinking about money gives us a sense of being invulnerable."

4

Sloth

Sleep is perhaps the ultimate slothful state. "But sleep improves our memory and ability to recall information,"Laham says. "Experiences during the day are consolidated and formed into a network in our minds and this facilitates memory and insight."

California State University researchers also found the slower our lifestyle, the more helpful we are. Why? Laham says "psychological overload" makes us blinkered. "We put on blinkers to remove distractions and to cope," he says. "When we slow down we notice more and look beyond ourselves."

5

Envy

"Most people think comparing ourselves with someone better off makes us feel bad, but it can boost mood, self-image and performance," Laham says. "One study in Canada asked fledgling schoolteachers to compare themselves to an experienced, award-winning teacher. They read a newspaper article about this woman – a target of envy. The young teachers were then asked about themselves and were more likely to see themselves as intelligent and talented – like the teacher they'd just read about."

Envy can also make us feel success is attainable. "A high performer can teach us how something is done and may change our expectations of what can be achieved," Laham says.

6

Pride

"Encourage people to feel proud of themselves by telling them that they've done well at a task and then give them another task to do, and the proud persist longer at that task," Laham says. "Pride induces a sense of control and the more you feel in control of what is happening, the more you are likely to act and persist in that situation because you feel more effective." And, contrary to what you might believe, proud people are liked.

"If you've worked hard and put in effort and feel proud, people like that. It's authentic pride," he says. "But if your pride is based on arrogance – it's narcissistic – that gives pride a bad name."

7

Anger

Research from the Bar-Ilan University in Israel gave people a series of puzzles and told them the puzzles could be solved once a single rule had been worked out. In fact, the puzzles were unsolvable, but researchers wanted to study the reactions of the group. Some became dejected – and gave up. Others became angry. When the same people were given a second task, the angry people persisted and were more likely to solve the problem than the dejected group. "Anger can motivate, increase perseverance and help us face obstacles," Laham says. "Angry people may also be regarded as more competent. Outward expressions of anger such as a serious facial expression can signal toughness and dominance. So you may be more likely to succeed with people because your expressions suggest you're tough-minded."

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